What Is a Christian?
A Christian is simply a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Some of the terms for becoming a Christian include "getting saved," "choosing to follow Christ," "being born again," and "giving your life to Christ."
What Does It All Mean?
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God Is a Loving God - One of the main attributes of God is that he is a loving God. I John 4:8 tells us that "God is love." Love is the essence of God's character and love is part of what He intends for us. It is because of His love for us that God sent Jesus Christ into the world.
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God Is a Holy God - God is perfect. He has never made a mistake and never will. Since God is perfect and Holy, He can't tolerate sin, which is the exact opposite of holiness.
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The Challenge - A Holy God can't tolerate sin. All human beings are imperfect and sin. Romans 3:23 tells us, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." God wants to love us; he wants to have a personal relationship with us, but our sin causes us to be separated from God. "The wages of sin is death,"says Romans 3:23. Our sin has separated us from having a relationship with God.
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God's Perfect Solution - God sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world. John 3:16 say, "For God so loved the world that he gave is only son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." When Jesus died on the cross, he became the substitute, the "wage" or price that had to be paid because of our sin.
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Jesus Paid the Price - Since Jesus Christ paid the price for our sinning, God can now enter into a relationship with us and we can enter a relationship with Him. God remains Holy and He can be in contact with people who sin but who He still loves.
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Our Role - The only thing that we need to do to become a Christian is to accept the work that Christ already did on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven.
How Do I Become A Christian?
You become a Christian when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
You do this when:
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Admit that you are a sinner - Say, "I'm a sinner and I can't solve this sin problem on my own." Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God."
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Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins - Say, "Jesus please forgive me of my sins which have kept me from having the proper relationship with you." It doesn't matter how large or small your sins are. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us for all unrighteousness."
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Ask Jesus to come into your life - Say, "Jesus, I ask you to come into my life and invite you to be my personal Lord and Savior."
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Ask Jesus to guide and control your life - Say, "Jesus, take control of my life and guide me on your path. Empower me to do the things you want me to do and to be the person you want me to be."
If you did this, you are now a Christian. Let someone know that you've become a Christian. Contact Pastor Rena' about the next steps on your spiritual journey.